Devizes Area

This description of the Devizes area has the following headings: Introduction, Landscapes, Market Towns and Villages.

Introduction

Known to some as the North Wessex Downs, but more generally as the Marlborough Downs, this very distinct area of Wessex is bounded by the broad valley of the Thames to the north and the narrow Vale of Pewsey to the south. This area is clearly evident on a contour map as a high expanse lying above the 400 ft contour line between these two boundaries.

This unspoilt upland, rising to almost 1,000 ft, is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It stretches from Devizes in the west to Hungerford in the east. Almost midway between Devizes and Hungerford are the only other towns in the area, Pewsey in its Vale and Marlborough on the meandering Kennet River that flows east-west through the centre of the upland area.

If there is a centre to this area it is not a town but a village, Avebury. In prehistoric times, people preferred upland to lowland. The Marlborough Downs were among the most heavily populated parts of pre- Roman Britain.

Today, the spectacular archaeological remains in and around Avebury explain why the surrounding area has been designated a World Heritage Site. In prehistoric times this was a centre of population. In subsequent historic times, its exposed character always discouraged settlement except along the winding course of the Kennet River. This is why there are so few towns and villages in the area.

The exposed upland of the Marlborough Downs blocked the way between two of the principal cities of England, London and Bath. Until the advent of the railway and the motorway, both of which took avoiding action, the many travellers moving between London and Bath had little choice but to brave these hills, usually choosing to keep close to the so-called Bath Road and to travel as fast as possible, if only to evade the attention of highwaymen. On his way to Bath Charles Dickens travelled this route by stage coach in the 1830s. His experience was to bring fame to the name of the coach operator: a Mr Pickwick. There are no major towns in the area, the only urban neighbour being Swindon which lies in the Thames Valley to the north of the Marlborough Downs.

Landscapes

Marlborough Downs

The Marlborough Downs, rising to almost 1,000 ft, have been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They stretch from Devizes in the west to Hungerford in the east. The rolling chalk hills rise sharply from the Thames valley to reach their highest levels just to the north of the Vale of Pewsey. Except for scattered clumps, this upland is almost devoid of trees. Until WW2 this was grassland, given over to huge flocks of sheep. Since then, cultivation – usually wheat or barley – has been allowed to creep up the slopes.

Bisecting the upland from west to east is the sheltered valley of the Kennet River. The Kennet rises within a mile or two of Avebury. At first it is little more than a small stream, surrounded by rolling hills. But from Marlborough to Ramsbury, and on to Hungerford, it becomes a broad meandering river, flowing through lovely farming country.

Travellers are well advised to leave the main east/west road, the A4 (the old Bath Road), and instead take the quiet country road which follows the north bank of the Kennet between Marlborough and Hungerford. To the west of Marlborough, the A4 follows the Kennet to its source, passing through the heart of the rich archaeological area surrounding Avebury. Beyond Avebury the A4 climbs away from the Kennet valley, with wonderful long views of the downs, before dropping sharply to the Bristol Avon valley to the west.

Keen walkers can explore the Marlborough Downs by following the prehistoric Wessex Ridgeway which cuts across the area passing through Avebury. Immediately to the south of Avebury, the walker meets another remarkable feature of the landscape, Wansdyke. Running along the top of the Downs, this is an ancient bank and ditch defensive barrier built in the 6th century by Britons to protect their upland from the invading West Saxons.

The southern boundary of the Marlborough Downs is formed by the flat, low- lying Vale of Pewsey whose many small streams feed not the Bristol Avon but the Salisbury Avon. The main waterway here is man-made, the Kennet and Avon canal, constructed in the 18th century to connect the Thames at Reading with the Bristol Avon at Bath. To enter the Marlborough Downs the canal has to ascend a spectacularly steep flight of over a score of locks just to the west of Devizes.

Between Pewsey and Hungerford the canal has to negotiate another dozen locks to allow its eastward descent to the Kennet valley. The inconvenience of negotiating the locks, and the cost of pumping water, meant that the canal was never an economic commercial proposition, and its use withered away with the development of the railroad network. But in recent years the entire course of the canal has been fully restored and it has now become a major visitor attraction, not only for canal barges but also for anglers, cyclists and walkers who appreciate its well maintained towpath.

Avebury: World Heritage Site

Avebury is a most attractive village, set in pleasing countryside, with a part- Saxon tree- shaded church, an Elizabethan manor house, a medieval thatched barn (now a museum of country life), an interesting and well run village pub, and nicely presented cottages and gardens. The entire village is indeed under the careful control of the National Trust. The village itself deserves a visit by any traveller exploring the area. But this particular village has a special claim to fame. It occupies the very centre of a well preserved megalithic site of world significance. The village is surrounded by several stone circles, a great ditch and a 20ft high external earth mound. These circles are formed by great sandstone boulders, known as sarsens and numbering about 100, some weighing as much as 40 tonnes. The entire complex is actively farmed. Sheep and cows often outnumber tourists.

This alone deserves Avebury’s designation as a World Heritage Site. But there is more to Avebury. An avenue of huge sarsens once ran south from the centre to a sanctuary in the river valley. In the valley, close to the sanctuary, is prehistoric Silbury Hill, the largest man- made hill in Europe, built for some unknown purpose, probably religious, some 4,000 years ago. Beyond Silbury is the West Kennet Long Barrow, a Neolithic tomb believed to have been built some 6,000 years ago. The entire natural amphitheatre of surrounding hills is an open museum of pre- Roman Britain. The many bulges on the skyline are ancient burial mounds or hill-top enclosures. The village museum includes many local finds and explains the area’s archaeological background and history.

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Market Towns

Devizes

Devizes grew around a Norman castle, sited on a high spur of the Marlborough Downs overlooking the Bristol Avon valley to the west. In the Middle Ages it developed into an important market town, trading in wool from the Downs and dairy produce from the Vale of Pewsey. It still retains the character of a rural market town, untouched by industry (except for Wadworth’s splendid brewery). Its street market, held every Thursday morning, attracts customers and visitors from far around. Stone built wool merchants’ mansions and earlier timber framed houses dominate the central townscape. By the 16c it had also become an important staging point, where horses were allowed to rest before or after tackling the steep slope to the west. An early coaching inn, the Bear, sits squarely on the market place; it claims to be among the oldest inns in the country.

In the 18c Devizes became an important staging point on the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Canal Wharf has been expertly restored, its granary converted into a canal museum. A few minutes walk along the tow-path brings the sight-seer to the spectacular Caen Lock Flight. Passing barge operators need to set aside an hour to work their way through its 16 hand-operated locks.

Marlborough

Being mid-way between London and Bath, Marlborough developed not just as a staging point on the London/Bath highway but as a convenient over- night staging point. Its broad High Street, reputed to be the widest in Britain, has changed little since the era of the stage coach in the 17c and 18c. In the mid 19c it was chosen as the site for what has become one of Britain’s premier public schools, Marlborough College. The presence of the school has ensured that the hospitality business, which grew up to serve the coach business, is still alive and well. Air passengers arriving at Heathrow, who are fortunate enough to be offered complimentary chauffeur service, are happy to discover that Marlborough’s high street is just within the usual 50-mile limit.

The history of the town goes back much earlier than the stage coach. Thanks to its favourable situation in the Kennet river valley, it developed in the Middle Ages as an important market town. It was the first town in Britain to be granted a royal charter. In earlier Norman times it became the site of a royal residence, allowing the rulers and their court to enjoy the chase in the nearby Savernake Forest. Now leased by the state to the Forestry Commission, the 2,000 acres of the forest are popular with visitors who come to admire its ancient oaks and beeches.

Pewsey

The sheltered Vale of Pewsey has long been renowned as among the best farming districts of Britain. The quiet settlement of Pewsey has always been its market town. Yet it retains a rural village character. Thatched cottages and handsome Georgian houses are the rule. Its roots go back to Saxon times. Archaeologists have discovered here a major Saxon cemetery, proving that it was then appreciated for its agricultural potential. A statue of King Alfred stands at the cross- roads in the town centre. The Kennet and Avon Canal skirts the Downs just to the north of the town. The canal basin is a place of bustling activity. Uphill to the north is Martinsell, among the highest points of Marlborough Down, a favourite among walkers for its spectacular views of Pewsey Vale and the surrounding downs.

Villages

Ramsbury

On a scenic stretch of the Kennet River, midway between Marlborough and Hungerford, is the attractive village of Ramsbury. Its situation has always attracted visitors. Just outside the village are the remains of a Roman villa. The parish church has relics of every period of church history, going back to the Saxon rulers of Wessex. In the medieval period it was the most important point in the valley. It was selected as a bishopric. But the difficult valley route led to its being bypassed by through traffic and by development. With the growth of horse racing in the 17c it attracted stables and the attention of the gentry. Ramsbury Manor, an exquisitive example of a Wren mansion, was built in 1681 for a wealthy London lawyer. Since then it has continued to attract the racing fraternity who equate the neighbouring Lambourne Downs to the downs of Newmarket.

Aldbourne

High on the Downs to the north of Ramsbury, at an altitude of no less than 700ft, is picture- postcard Aldbourne. The village developed in Roman and Saxon times as a place to rest while crossing the high downs on the way north from Winchester. The village green, with pond and ancient stone cross; the interesting Norman church; the simple cottages that surround the green: these are good reasons to visit Aldbourne. But perhaps the main reason is its superb setting, in the very centre of what has often been described as being among the world’s best walking country.

 

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World Heritage Sites of Wessex

 

These details were last updated on
26 AUG 2007